


Memories of Autumn

by DirtyCavePainter



Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Eventual Romance, F/M, Healer Hermione Granger, Hurt/Comfort, Memory Loss, Sign Language, Violence, Voice
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-09-09
Updated: 2020-10-26
Packaged: 2021-03-07 00:27:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 7,003
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26367937
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DirtyCavePainter/pseuds/DirtyCavePainter
Summary: Hermione Granger stumbles upon a dirty, bloodied, and confused Draco Malfoy on a hike. Through healing his body and mind, she discovers why he was in the woods that day and uncovers a dark plot.
Relationships: Hermione Granger/Draco Malfoy
Comments: 29
Kudos: 67





	1. Leaves

* * *

Crunch crunch crunch. Her boots crinkled the leaves on the ground as she walked. Crunch crunch crunch. She inhaled deeply and tried to empty her mind. She fingered a portion of her sweater and studied the crunching leaves beneath her boots.

A sharp gust of air spun leaves of brown, red, and gold in front of her. The path was small, if it could even be called a path at all. She had found it on another hike in the summer. She took one look at the small path and decided it had to be done in the fall and only in the fall. A small smile overtook her face as another breeze rustled some more leaves in her path. It was worth the wait.

She trudged on for hours, feet growing stiff with overuse. A tinkle of a small stream beckoned her and she followed its call to a small bank where an Idyllic little stream ran through a glade. A big stump was in a perfect position to overlook the stream and dangle her feet in the water if she wished.

She threw off her pack and perched on top of the stump. A quick wrist movement drew a notebook out of her pack. She flipped to a new page and started to draw the scene in front of her. She chastised herself for not remembering to bring pastels.

The colors of the season called to her.

She sighed and told herself she would come again. The notebook lay forgotten and the stump vacated as she laid in a patch of leaves and grass by the stream. Clouds passed easily over her head, birds sang sweetly, and the world was quiet.

This was why she hiked.

Every weekend it was another hike. A lot of the times it was local, but other times she took a portkey to somewhere else. Last weekend she hiked a place in South Korea. The mountains in Sokcho were beautiful In the fall not to mention there were beaches to walk when she was tired of the mountains. Her mouth watered at the memory of the dishes she has eaten. Kimchi was becoming a daily feature of her meals ever since.

Port keys to Asia were few and far between so she knew she needed to take advantage. Yet, local hikes were some of her favorites.

They were home.

She didn’t know any other witch or wizard that hiked so she was never bothered. The boys had tried to hike with her once, but an experience with some bugs had left them scarcely able to sit outside let alone walk as far as she did. She was glad, though. She was alone in her thoughts the whole way. No one is complaining or nagging.

Just peace.

She laid by the stream listening to its gurgle. The sun warmed her body making her lazy. Her eyes drooped and she fell into a relaxed sleep. She dreamt of clouds and trees swirling around each other.

A small twig cracked and she jerked awake. Her body moved to face the sound. A pair of gray eyes stared into hers and she stared back for a moment before letting out a shriek.

She flipped onto the balls of her feet and got up clumsily. She scrambled over to her pack and grabbed out her wand. She turned sharply and feverishly looked for the person attached to the eyes. She locked eyes with the gray eyes again.

This time they were peering out from behind a tree. The eyes looked nervously to and fro. She noticed the hands gripped around the tree trunk were dirty and raw. She lowered her wand a few inches and took a few steps towards the clump of trees.

“Hello,” she spoke in a low voice.

“Are you okay? Are you lost?”

The eyes darted back and forth. She tucked the wand into her waistband and took a few slow steps towards the tree.

“It’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you. You just scared me.”

She put her hands in front of her and crept slowly towards the person. As she got closer, she noticed the hands were bleeding more than she had originally thought.

“It’s okay. I won’t hurt you. I can see your hurt. Can I help you?”

The eyes stopped their frantic circling and stared at her. She continued her slow walk to the tree until she was close enough to get a good look at the person who stood behind it. The person was a male, dirty, torn clothes, lots of bruises and wounds, and terribly thin. The hair was caked in mud and the skin red with sunburn.

She reached out a hand and offered it to the man. He looked at it and instead of taking it focused on the wand in her waistband. She saw him looking at the wand and saw a spark of something in his eyes. She pulled the wand out and held it in her hands.

“Do you know what this is?”

The eyes looked at her and the head gave a small nod.

“What’s your name?” The head gave a small shake of confusion.

“Oh dear that’s no good. Can I look at your wounds?”

The head gave a jerky nod. She looked him over and let out a sigh. It seemed like he had been out here for a while. She saw a red patch on his shirt that looked concerning. She slowly reached her hand towards his dirty shirt and when he did not resist she peeled back the shirt. The blood had been from a cut that didn’t seem too bad. She peeled back a bit more of the shirt and had to bite back a gasp.

A latticework of scars marred his chest.

Yet those were not what had elicited the response, oh no. It was the familiarity of their pattern.

She had seen them before. She had been by his bedside as he was being healed.

Her best friend had been the one to utter the curse. She looked up into the eyes of the man and spoke a single low word.

“Draco?”


	2. Swirls

* * *

The man blinked and said nothing.

She pulled his shirt closed, "Draco. It's me, Hermione. Do you remember me?"

The man continued to stare. She reached out to touch his arm, yet as it grazed his right arm he recoiled.

She shushed him under her breath, "Shh, shh. I'm not going to hurt you. I'm trying to help you."

Her mind twittered with thoughts. What should she do? She was a healer. He needed help, but this was something...strange. She had a strange feeling about this situation. A strange feeling about him.

Why was Draco Malfoy of all people out here alone in the woods in this condition? She shook herself from her thoughts and once again focused her attention on the man in front of her.

She spoke in a low and soothing voice, "Draco. You may not remember me, but my name is Hermione. We knew each other in school. I'm a healer. I can help you. Can I do that?"

The gray eyes bore into hers. She looked for any spark of recognition, but could see none.

"Draco. Can you come sit with me? I can help you."

She pointed to where her pack was sitting and his eyes followed her finger. He crept slowly from the tree line. Hermione walked slowly behind him watching his movements in case he decided to run.

Slowly he lowered himself by her pack and drew his knees to his chest. She glanced over his person again, taking in his overall appearance. His pants were torn, dirty, and bloody. He hadn't been walking with any type of limp but she could see he was favoring his right side. Possibly broken ribs.

She sat beside him and slowly drew her wand from her waistband. At her movement, the man recoiled again.

"Shhh. It's okay Draco. I just want to heal you a bit. Is this okay?"

She held the wand out and waited to see if he would acknowledge her. Draco looked at the wand and she could see the fear in his eyes as he gazed upon the length of wood. She placed the wand down deciding not to push the man. From her pack, she grabbed a small first aid kit.

Thankfully, she always carried one just in case. You never knew when you needed more muggle healing methods. It wasn't exactly easy to heal a scrape with magic when surrounded by muggle hikers. She opened it and showed it to the man.

"How about this? Muggle medicine, no wand needed."

The man stopped staring at the wand and relaxed a bit. She pulled out a few baby wipes and gently started to clean his face. At first he flinched, but as he seemed to get used to the wet cloth, he leaned into her touch. Under all the grime, she saw the fading yellow bruises that tinted the majority of his face. She applied some antibacterial cream to a few scrapes and scratches that dotted his face. She whispered a spell under her lips and his hair became somewhat clean of all the mud and blood mushed into it. 

She showed him her hands and said, "I'm going to check your head okay?"

She waited a bit to see if he would reply, but she was met only with the same blank stare. Gently she glided her fingers over his scalp looking for any bumps indicating head trauma. She found quite a number of them hidden under the long unkempt blonde hair. She pushed them and the man flinched.

"What have you been through Draco? You poor thing."

She let go of his head and rustled around in her bag until she felt a hand full of plastic. Out came a few granola bars, a bag of cashews, and a water bottle. She unwrapped a granola bar and held it out to Draco.

"Here you go. You must be hungry." Bloody hands quickly grabbed the bar and shoved it into a greedy mouth.

She quickly grabbed the remaining bar in his grip, "Slow down okay. You don't want to make yourself sick. Here. Drink some water first okay?"

She unscrewed the top off the water bottle. Draco looked at the bar in her hands, but dutifully drank from the bottle.

"There you go. That's a good boy. Now here is the rest. Eat slowly okay. Then more water. If you finish it nicely, you can have some more."

The man did as she asked and she set about cleaning some of the other visible wounds. With a quickly whispered spell, she cleaned the blood and grime off his hands. Thankfully he was too busy eating to notice the magic.

What should she do with him? Take him to the Aurors? The hospital? Maybe she needed to consult with Harry first? Contact some family? Friends? Oh dear. She glanced back to the chewing man.

"Draco", she said softly, "We need to get you fixed up. Can I take you to a hospital?"

At that his eyes lit up. His head shook wildly.

She waved her hands, "Okay okay. No hospital. Do you have someone I can contact? Family? Friends?"

His head shook even more. He obviously didn't want her to take him to a hospital and no doubt not the Aurors either. He didn't want her to contact anyone as well. What was there left?

Unless...

She grabbed his hand softly and he stopped shaking his head. He looked at her with eyes that held something more than just a blankness.

"Draco. I'm a healer like I've told you. I can heal you. Would you be okay with coming back to my flat? I can give you more food and get you cleaned up. How about that?"

His head gave a small nod and he scooted a bit closer to her. A small noise escaped from him and she felt a wetness dropping on her knee. The man's shoulders shook. She placed her hand on them and rubbed small circles into the stiff muddy fabric.

"If it's okay, I can apparate us there. Can I do that?" Draco nodded.

Hermione stood, grabbed her pack, and helped the man to his feet. She gently hooked her arm around his and turned on the spot. She turned on the stop and apparated them both away. Only a flurry of colorful leaves and a bloody handprint on a tree remained.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A/N: Thank you for reading Chapter 2 of Memories of Autumn! Thank you for all the kind reviews. Please keep leaving them! They make me so so happy to read that people are enjoying the story. I plan to update every Monday (KST time) so please look forward to every Monday! Until Next Week- DCP


	3. Flannel

* * *

Hermione grabbed at the man as they landed back in her London flat. He wobbled on his feet and seemed disoriented.

She pulled him to her small couch, "Here Draco. Sit down. I need to do a few things okay?"

She gave him another granola bar and the rest of the water which he took greedily. Hermione looked at him with a stern look, and he began to take slow deliberate bites of the bar.

Convinced he was eating slowly, she set down her pack. The flat was a bit cold so she threw some logs on the small fireplace and lit with a flick of her hand. Late September in London wasn't terribly cold, but the chill in the air was felt in the small flat. She bustled around the kitchen. Tea was in order. For both of them.

She went through a small list in her mind as she put the kettle on. Tea, bath, healing, an actual meal, and bed? Was that right? She needed to get some answers out of the man, but she doubted she would get them from him today.

The kettle on the stove whistled and she grabbed two bags of her favorite autumn tea from a jar beside the stove. Carefully, she grabbed the two mugs of tea and set one in front of the man.

"It's hot so wait a bit for it to cooldown."

She put her own mug down on the coffee table and sat on a small pouf opposite Draco. In the light of her flat, he seemed less haggard than he had seemed in the light of the autumn sun. She took her time studying his form trying to get some clues as to why he was in those woods.

His white blonde hair laid tangled and long against the lapels on his once white shirt. The dirty shirt and trousers didn't seem to be of normal Malfoy family fortune quality. They looked like the sort of clothing you'd get from your granddad or from a tip. The garments hung loosely around his almost skeletal form. Either he had been malnourished before his stint in the woods, or he had been out there enough time to go without food for a while. She was guessing it was a bit of both.

She studied the face last. The features were pointed, but not in the way they once were. They were pointed from near starvation. She glanced at his eyes and noticed they were not looking at her, or the tea, but rather at the small window. Her gaze turned to it as well and took in the sight.

She rented the flat for the view and the view only. Massive trees filled with all the colors of autumn swayed in the breeze. A small trickle of rain fell off the large leaves of a maple tree directly outside.

The scene was idyllic.

The perfect epitome of autumn in England.

She gave a small sigh in contentment and took a sip of her tea. Spicy chai coated her tongue and warmed her body. She heard a soft clink.

Assuming Draco had taken a sip of his tea she spoke softly, "Is the tea alright Draco?"

Out of the corner of her eye, she saw a small nod. She smiled. Good. The tea should give his skinny form some warmth before his bath. She set her tea down and turned toward him.

"Draco, I need to see the rest of your injuries. Lets go to the bathroom so I can heal you and wash you up. Okay?"

Another small nod. Hermione stood and grabbed her tea.

"You can take your tea with you. Follow me."

She walked slowly to her bathroom and gestured to the small ledge where they could set their tea.

She pushed her voice into her normal healer's voice, "Draco if you could take off your things please?"

Draco looked at her with a look that expressed discomfort. He wiggled to and fro, catching the ends of his shirt in his fingers.

She smiled softly, "No need to be embarrassed okay? I am simply your healer. I won't hurt you."

The man took a minute of uncomfortable shifting, but his fingers caught the hem on his shirt and pulled it over his head. His trousers soon followed.

She immediately went into healer mode and started to take inventory of his injuries. Without probing his side, she could still tell his right ribs were cracked by the extensive bruising covering his side. His whole body was peppered with healing bruises. Flakes of dried blood clung to some of the worst scrapes. His feet and hands were raw and bleeding in some spots. He seemed to have lost his shoes recently since his feet weren't in terrible condition. The sunburn on his skin blistered in some areas. She let out a small sigh. Some of the injuries needed magic to heal and she didn't know how to get him to agree to it. 

She called out to Draco who was still fidgeting in embarrassment, "I need to heal some of this with magic. I promise you I won't hurt you."

At the mention of magic, his face turned white and he started to move towards the back of the small bathroom. She would have to try a new tactic if she wanted to heal him. Perhaps a bit of motivation would work.

"If you let me heal you, you can have a nice warm meal. Maybe even some chocolate cake. How about that," she said encouragely.

As soon as the cake was mentioned, his face lit up. He nodded furiously.

"You'll let me heal you for cake?"

Another round of furious nodding.

"With magic."

He spread his arms wide and closed his eyes, giving a final big nod.

Hermione had to refrain herself from laughing. He was like a big child. Willing to do something scary for him for cake.

She grabbed her wand and started to work on his injuries. Thankfully, the work was simple and quick. She would give him a few potions after he ate to tend to his malnourishment and other internal ailments.

She set her wand on the sink, "There done! That wasn't so bad was it?"

The man opened his eyes and shook his head. A little smile graced the now sunburn free tanned face.

She moved him slowly to the side and turned on the bath, "Now its bath time."

She stoppered the bath when the water turned warm and turned to the man who was watching with curiosity at the process.

"Off with your pants and into the bath or no cake."

The pants soon fell onto the floor. Draco's tall form climbed into the filling tub. Hermione grabbed a bottle of ever-bubble bubble bath and squeezed some liquid into the stream of water. She hoped the bubbles would make him feel more comfortable as they would preserve some modesty.

She set to work helping to clean the form of the man. She had to frequently stop and vanish away the filthy water and fill the tub once again.

"And done!" she grabbed a clean towel and handed it to Draco.

"Dry off and I'll get you some new clothes. Then we will go have some dinner okay?"

He stood and began drying off his body.

She walked quickly to her bedroom and withdrew a small box from the depths of her closet. She was thankful she kept a small box of her dad's old clothing that she saved from the tip. You never knew when you needed some oversized clothing for a party or for pure comfort. A well worn plaid flannel tickled her fingers. The cloth was as familiar as her own hand. She swore the fabric still smelled faintly of the aftershave her dad always wore. The memories of her father flooded her memory and a smile took over her face. Out came a worn pair of jeans and she plucked an oversized pair of hiking socks from her dresser. She could enlarge or shrink things as needed, but what would she do for pants? She doubted he would like to borrow any of hers. She nearly smacked herself on the forehead with her wand.

"I'm a witch am I not," she said aloud to the empty room.

She conjured a pair of plain briefs and collected her bounty. The man still stood where she left him, wrapped in the large towel.

She held out the clothes in her hands, "Here you are. Once you are dressed, I can make them smaller or bigger okay?"

Draco nodded and held the clothes in his arm. She gave him a soft smile, walked out, and closed the bathroom door behind her to give him his space. After a few minutes, the door to the bathroom creaked open.

As she took him in she said softly, "Oh look at you. Feel better?"

A soft nod fluttered the hair around his face. His long hair fell in tangles and Hermione could spy a small leaf that was missed during the bath. With a flick of her fingers, a comb came whizzing out of the bathroom into her outstretched hand. She twirled her fingers and the too large clothes tailored themselves to his thin body.

She pointed back to the living room, "Your hair is a little tangled. Come sit on the floor and we will get it untangled okay?"

Hermione took a seat on the small couch and indicated that he should sit on the floor in front of her. He dutifully sat patiently as she combed his hair. After it was combed, she decided its length would be better contained in a french braid. He gave no objections as she braided.

She patted his shoulders, "Dinner time. Ready?"

An enthusiastic nod made her chuckle and kept her spirits up through preparing dinner, a quick soup, slices of sourdough bread, and of course chocolate cake.

Draco ate as if he hadn't eaten well in a year. Perhaps he hadn't. It was curious how quiet he was. Since she had found him, she had gotten nothing more than head movements and body language.

The fork holding a small piece of chocolate cake stalled in her hand, "Draco?"

A face covered in remains of chocolate looked over at her.

"Can you speak Draco?"

He looked down at the remains of his cake and shook his head. She could swear she could see a small tear trace down his thin face.

That's why he hadn't said a word. He couldn't. Her mind started spinning on possible causes. Given his aversion to magic, she guessed it was a magical cause. No doubt dark in origin. Her fork lowered and she sighed deeply.

"What happened to you Draco?"

Their eyes met and she could see the weight of the world in them. Tears were trickling fast down his face.

Hermione stood up and slowly made her way to the sitting man. She slowly reached out, waiting to see if he would resist. He made no move to resist her, in fact she could have sworn he leaned in a fraction. Her arms wrapped around him not caring for the tears and chocolate that stained her shirt. He cried silently in her arms for what seemed like an age yet she didn't move or push him away.

The sniffling quieted down, replaced with the soft breaths of sleep. With the help of magic, she lifted his too light body and placed him in her guest room. She summoned a few vials and woke him up gently so he could swallow the brews. Included was a draught of dreamless sleep which took effect quickly. Leaving the door open, she cleaned up their mess and made another cup of tea.

She grabbed the mug and sat in the window seat in her bedroom pondering the day. What should she do?

Well for one, she needed to take a leave of absence from work. She needed to help him. Should she contact Harry? She wouldn't bother with Ronald with all his prejudice. The feeling of strangeness around the situation hadn't left. He was adamant that he didn't want to go to the hospital or Aurors. He didn't have any family. So it was up to her.

Her back hit the warm wood behind her, jarring her. She had a lot of work to do. Gazing out of her window, she pushed open the double windows letting in the crisp autumn evening air. A sip of the fragrant tea calmed her racing thoughts. A gust of air swirled her curls around her and pushed a few yellow leaves into her room. She gulped the last dregs of her tea and pushed off the window seat.

She had a busy night ahead of her and a mysterious man in her house that needed her.

A quiet small voice in her head told her that maybe she needed him too.

* * *

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Another week, another update! Like I stated in the last author's notes. I am going to try my best to update every Monday! As always I adore reviews! See you next week! -DCP


	4. Tea

* * *

Broken quills, crumpled parchment, and tipped over ink pots filled a small desk. A hand covered in black ink furiously scribbled something against a sheet of parchment. The other hand clutched a cup of steaming tea with a small spoon absentmindedly stirring. A small sigh escaped the lips of Hermione and the parchment was soon crumbled, pushed aside to join the rest of the failed letters. She glanced over at the clock, groaning as she saw it was nearly two in the morning. Exhaustion sank into her bones threatening to send her to sleep on top of her desk. A cold breeze blew through the open window pushing droplets of rain onto the new piece of parchment. Another sigh broke through the woman's lips and she placed her head in her hands, grinding her palms against her eyes.

She had been sat trying to pen a letter to Harry for hours it seemed. She couldn't simply write, "Hi Harry. I happened to have come upon Draco Malfoy in the woods with no voice and no memory. No need to worry." If she sent a letter in that vein, Harry would have been over faster than she could say babbling bumbling band of baboons. Pushing aside the ink stained letter, she picked up a finished envelope. She gave a little whistle staring out of the open window into the darkness.

She only had a wait a few movements until a beautiful black owl swooped in with a small rat dangling from her mouth. Hermione held out her arm for the owl to perch on stroking the soft black feathers.

Hermione smiled affectionately at the owl, "Hello my beautiful Hathor. I see you've had a pleasant hunt. Carry this to St. Mungo's please. Dr. Lee if she's there if not just leave it with the staff."

The owl jerked lightly, swallowing the rat in one gulp. The black beak snaked forward, grabbed the letter, and gave Hermione a small nip on her fingers. Hermione threw out of her arm and Hathor took off into the night. She watched the dark owl for a few moments before looking back towards the blank piece of parchment that she shoved to the side. She twirled the quill in her fingers while she stared off into space. Sending the letter to St. Mungo's was an easy matter, but she was struggling with what to say to Harry.

She was lucky that she could simply send a letter to St. Mungos to inform them of her absence. It was more of a formality really. She had flown through the ranks of Healers at St. Mungos quickly. It was mostly due to her 9 N.E.W.T.S, but being a war heroine with an Order of Merlin no doubt helped as well. In three short years, she was on retainer as an expert on curse and dark magic. She made the rounds at St. Mungo's to check in on patients and instructed healers in training periodically. There was no need to for her to have an office as the majority of her work was research and special cases affording her time to hike and write as she pleased.

It was such a coincidence that she found Draco. Of all the people who could have found him, she was one of the only people in Europe that had the knowledge of dark magic like she did.

She hated the term, dark magic. While she wouldn't admit it, she didn't make the distinction between light and dark magic anymore. She had seen light magic kill and dark magic heal. When she had first been made a Senior Healer, a boy's instinctual magic had reacted to a Giggling Hex cast by his older brother and had mutated the simple hex rebounding it back into his older brother. The older brother had died from asphyxiation due to the mutation of the hex.

The case would never leave Hermione's mind. He was the first patient she ever lost. She had beaten herself up for weeks after his death.

Conversely, she had used a dark curse to draw out a blood curse on a young woman named Astoria. Because she used the dark magic on the woman's blood, the woman could live her life fully instead of dying at a young age. Magic was not simple dark and light. Magic was magic. It could be used in good ways and bad ways. 

Hermione was trying to change the views of the healing profession, but the war was still too present. Even Harry couldn't understand her radical views. He would always shake his head and say, "I don't get it Hermione. After all you've been through."

She scoffed. After all she had been through. It did not define her. She gave up trying to explain it to Harry, so she was doing what she did best, research.

A groan interrupted her musing.

She breathed out sharply, "Draco."

She dropped the quill, grabbed her wand, and started towards the guest bedroom.

Her guest room was illuminated by a soft glow from a small night light she kept in the corner of the room. She flicked her wand and a small light hovered in the air above the bed.

The thin frame of Draco was tossing and turning in sleep, arms and legs twitching. His brow was peppered with beads of sweat, sticking strands of white blonde hair to his face.

Hermione gingerly grabbed his shoulders and shook him lightly, "Draco. Wake up. You are having a bad dream. You are safe. It is just a dream."

The man's eyes flew open, frantically moving around in their sockets. A soft whimper escaped his lips as his body shuddered in fear.

Hermione sat down on the bed and laid her hand on his forehead, "Are you okay Draco?"

The man's gray eyes found her own fear still reflected in the depths. He closed his eyes and gave a small nod.

She stroked his hair attempting to soothe the man, "How about some tea?"

Not waiting for a nod, she flicked her wand summoning two cups of steaming tea into her waiting hands. She flicked again, enlarging the window seat.

She set down a cup of tea on the bedside table, "Care to join me on the window seat? You'll feel better in the fresh air."

She sat down on the window seat and opened the window to the cool breeze. Draco's eyes opened, calm slowly replacing the panic. The man grabbed the tea and slowly made his way to the window seat opposite of her own frame. Hermione stretched out her legs, inviting him to do the same.

Looking out the window into the slowly lightening sky she spoke in a soft tone, "I still have nightmares. Not as much as I used to, but there are still there. I don't know if you remember much, but your aunt tortured me."

She pushed up the sleeve of her sweater turning her arm towards the soft light. Spelled out in white, raised, and clumsily letters was the word M U D B L O O D. 

Replacing her sleeve, she continued, "I have no idea what happened to you, but I know it was something terrible Draco. I am going to help you, no matter what. Maybe tomorrow you can try to tell me what happened if you are able."

She stole a glance at the man. He was staring at her arm encased in her sleeve face white in the light. Small tears ran down his face leaving small streaks. He glanced up meeting her eyes. His head turned away, attempting to hide his tears.

Hermione grabbed his face lightly, "Draco do not be ashamed. It's okay to cry. Do you want me to leave?"

He gave a small shake of his head and stretched his legs out beside her own trapping her in the window seat.

She gave him a small smile, summoned a book on magical fungi, and began reading it softly outloud. Draco's soft breathing evened out and she set her book down in her lap.

In his sleep, he looked like a child. The potions she gave him before had given his face a bit more life. She summoned two blankets, draping them over their forms.

She blew on her cup of tea cuddling the warm cup in her hands. The soft breaths of the man seemed to beckon the sunrise. She welcomed the new autumn day beside the sleeping form of a man who had once tormented her. Yet now he was something else entirely.

* * *


	5. La Vie En Rose

* * *

Gray mists swirled on a cold ground of stone. Chilled air blew around bare legs. In a flash, the mists cleared and a house stood in the distance. A step brought her closer, another step sent her to the door. 

A churdling voice whispered into her ear, “Hermioneeee. Come here little Hermione.”

A shiver trailed down her spine as her hand reached out on its own knocking on the door. That voice. She knew that voice. It scared her. The door opened with a creak ushering her inside the dark depths. Her bare feet slapped against the floor. The echo the only sounds in the darkness. Her arm began to burn as she slowly walked towards a door wreathed in green flames. As she reached the door, a grimy hand with black broken nails curled around the frame. The nails racked on the wood being eaten by the green flames. She recoiled from the hand in fear as the sharpened nails began to splinter the wood. As she tried to back away, a hand on her back pushed her forward into the flaming door. 

The image vanished, flames trailing into nothing. Her vision cleared slowly as a ceiling came into view. Her heart began to race as sweat trailed down her forehead.

A crazed voice began speaking words that she knew by heart,”I’m going to ask you again! Where did you get this sword? Where?”

The pain flooded her system. Old pain, yet still fresh. 

She squirmed on the floor searching for the one thing that held her steady. Always anchored her.  
  
“We found it — we found it — PLEASE!”   
  
She screamed again and again as the pain racked her body, her eyes still searching around the ceiling. 

  
“You are lying, filthy Mudblood, and I know it! You have been inside my vault at Gringotts! Tell the truth, tell the truth!”

Hermione still did not answer. The pain forcing words to simply bubble in her throat. 

“What else did you take? What else have you got? Tell me the truth or, I swear, I shall run you through with this knife!”

And there it was, just as it always was. A pair of grey eyes locked on hers and pleaded with her to remain, to not fade away. 

Those eyes began clearer and clearer. The room fading away. 

She awoke with a start. Sweat coated her forehead and her forearm burned. Hermione scrunched up her legs and laid her head down on her knees. The light burning through the window was soft, indicating it was only mid morning. She had not meant to fall asleep, but it had seemed that exhaustion had taken the best of her. 

As her breath began to calm, she turned to look at the still sleeping man stretched out on the widow seat next to her. The potions did the man well during the night. There was a bit of color in the cheeks and the nourishment potions were already filling in the gaunt cheeks. 

Hermione reached for her wand and levitated the man gently allowing her to slide out of the seat. As she laid the man back down, she felt his forehead checking the temperature of his skin. His forehead felt normal and she brushed the stray hairs back that came loose from the braid overnight. 

She left the man and went to the kitchen to make a morning meal. She flicked a quick silencing spell on the room so she could turn on a small radio. She swayed to some songs as she flitted around the kitchen.

She poured two heaping cups of coffee singing, “Heaven, I'm in heaven, And my heart beats so that I can hardly speak, And I seem to find the happiness I seek. When we're out together dancing, cheek to cheek.” 

A hand grabbed her waist and swung her into a waltz. She blinked as Draco danced with her. They danced around the kitchen until the song had ended. She flicked her hand at the radio and the next song softened to a whisper. 

“Oh umm good morning Draco. Did you sleep well?”

The man nodded and gestured to the radio. 

“Oh yes. Umm I didn’t know you could dance. That was nice. Would you like some breakfast.”

Draco nodded and sat down at the table. She placed the breakfast in front of him and he ate with gusto. As he finished his meal, Hermione grabbed a sheet of parchment and a quill from a drawer. 

“Draco, do you mind if we try this? You may not be able to speak, but I’d like to see if you can write.”

Draco grabbed the quill with a clumsy hand and wrote two scratchy letters on the parchment. ‘Hi.’

She smiled, “Hi yourself Draco. Can you tell me about anything that happened.”

The quill scribbled. ‘No’. 

“I figured as much. The spell holding your voice no doubt holds your hand as well. Do you hurt anywhere?”

Draco shook his head and scratched the word dance on the parchment. 

She laughed, “You would like to dance again? Why?”

‘Like it.’

“Okay how about this. We figure out what you remember then we have another dance. Okay?” 

The man nodded and held his quill aloft. 

She ruffled the few stray hairs and chuckled, “You silly man. Now lets see. How old are you, who were your parents, where did you go to school, what do you remember from your childhood.”

The quill was poised over the parchment as the man listened to the questions, but the pen did not move in reply.

She waited for a reply for several minutes before she spoke again, “Do you not remember anything? Do you remember your name at least?”

The quill started to write, still in a slow scratchy scrawl. It read, ‘Remember you. Other flashes. No name. Only name you say.’

She tapped a finger onto her jaw in thought, “It seems like whatever the curse is, it has taken your memories with it. You cannot talk about the flashes so it also protects against revealing this way. I’ve never heard of a curse that does this. There are curses that do the individual things, but not together. Seems either old, or invented. I’ll have to do a lot of research on the subject to even think about formulating a countercurse.”

The man stared at her during her musings. Titling his head a bit as if trying to process the information. 

Grabbing the quill lightly from his hand, she wrote on the parchment a name. Draco Malfoy. 

“That’s your name Draco. Draco Malfoy. I don’t know what your middle name is, but I would guess it was Lucius after your father,” she said quietly pointing to the letters. 

Draco grabbed the quill back from her fingers and wrote slowly and delicately his name. He wrote it three more times before he gestured to the paper with a smile on his face. 

“Excellent work Draco! I’d like to teach you a few sign language signs to help you talk to me with your hands. How does that sound?”

He nodded seriously and bent over the parchment again. He took his time, writing each character with precision and effort. The effort of writing seemed to exhaust him. After a time, he looked up and pointed to the paper. Written carefully was the question, ‘Will you dance with me?’

Hermione plucked the quill out of his fingers and wrote back, ‘Of course.’

She flicked her hand at the radio, increasing the volume. Out trilled lines of French from her radio as the pair began to dance around the kitchen once more in the light of the autumn sun. 

* * *

_Des yeux qui font baisser les miens_  
_Un rire qui se perd sur sa bouche_  
_Voilà le portrait sans retouches_  
_De l'homme auquel j'appartiens_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please forgive me! I have neglected my fics, but things have been a little crazy in my personal life. I do not like to go a while without updating a story, but sometimes it happens. Life happens and man this year has been a year for sure. I hope you still stick with me through this story! I will do my best to continue updating every week if I can manage it. As always, I adore reading reviews! Until Next Time- DCP

**Author's Note:**

> Welcome to my new fic Memories of Autumn! Please post a review of what you think!- DCP


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